Franklin Doesn't Own Pipe From Dam, Lehighton Told

It appears that the water conduit in Beltzville Lake in Franklin Township is up for grabs.

The Lehighton Water Authority had been negotiating with the Franklin Township Board of Supervisors to hook into the 16-inch supply conduit the township built into the Beltzville Dam.

But authority Secretary George Bibighaus told the authority last night that the Delaware River Basin Commission said there is no written evidence that the township owns the conduit.

The commission owns the conduit, he said.

"So the commission is going to decide who gets first crack at it," Bibighaus told authority members. The commission will decide whether Lehighton or Franklin Township will be able to bid first to lease the conduit, Bibighaus said.

The Lehighton Water Authority wants the hookup as a new water source to upgrade its outdated supply system.

Lehighton had been haggling with Franklin Township over the price of the hookup when it learned of the ownership dispute. Authority members had met with board members to discuss the deal.

But the water authority kept its proposals private because it did not want to get into a bidding war with other water agencies for the right to hook into the dam.

Franklin Township officials are scheduled to meet with the commission later this month to discuss the conduit, Bibighaus said.

But Lehighton is not relying solely on the dam for its future water needs. The authority is considering three other methods of upgrading its system: rehabilitating its reservoirs, using the Lehigh River as a main water supply, or building a new reservoir.

Lehighton plans to spend $6 million for equipment and supplies to improve its facilities. The authority plans to sell about 5,000 acres of its land to offset some of the costs.